Debregeasia atrata Gagnepain, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 75: 556. 1928; Oreocnide tremula Handel-Mazzetti.

Shrubs or subshrubs 0.6-4 m tall; branches nearly appressed pubescent, soon glabrescent. Stipules 2-cleft 1/2 of length, lanceolate, 5-8 mm, pubescent on ribs abaxially; petiole 2-14 cm, sparsely pubescent; leaf blade abaxially light greenish, sometimes veins and petioles reddish, adaxially greenish and slightly lustrous, becoming dark greenish, ovate to lanceolate, (4-)7-18 × (2-)3-8 cm, membranous or nearly so, lateral basal pair of veins reaching middle margin, anastomasing with adjacent lateral veins, lateral veins 2-4 pairs along midvein before margin, abaxially pubescent on veins, adaxially sparsely pubescent, base rounded or broadly cuneate, rarely truncate or subcordate, margin coarsely dentate or crenate-dentate, apex caudate-acuminate, acumen 1-2 cm, entire. Male cymes proximal to female ones, dichotomously branched 4-6 times, 1-9 cm, sometimes drooping, sparsely pubescent; bracts narrowly ovate, ca. 0.4 mm. Bisexual flowers: pedicel ca. 0.3 mm; perianth lobes ca. 0.5 mm, abaxially puberulent. Male flowers pedicellate, bud oblate, ca. 2 mm in diam.; perianth lobes puberulent abaxially; rudimentary ovary ca. 0.6 mm. Female flowers sessile; perianth tube free from ovary, puberulent abaxially; stigma 0.3-0.4 mm. Achene light greenish, 0.8-1 mm, verrucose. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Aug-Oct.

The stem fibers are used to make ropes.

Partly shady, moist places in forests, rocky crevices; 300-1500 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, S Hunan [N Vietnam].